Pomfret

The Wyndham Land Trust recently acquired two properties that add to the 5000 acres of forest and grasslands already protected by the land trust in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner. The new 86-acre Cartier Preserve is located north of Quarry Road in Woodstock. The new 65-acre Potrzeba Preserve sits a short distance away to the west of Swedetown Road in the northwest corner of Pomfret.

“There’s something about these woods that never fails to help me refocus on what’s truly important in this life,” says the land trust’s treasurer, Penny Foisey. “As the saying goes ‘And into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.’ The Cartier and Potrzeba Preserves are great places to enjoy the beauty of nature. I always feel like I’ve stepped back in time walking these paths that were here long before I.

”Both preserves are part of a large undeveloped area of forested habitat covering several thousand acres that is important for storing carbon and fighting climate change. Land manager Andy Rzeznikiewicz is excited about the new acquisitions: “The diversity of birds is very high—an indication of the health and the size of the forest. Species like black-throated blue warblers, hooded warblers, black-throated green warblers, and scarlet tanagers breed here. Bird species that I don’t find in most parts of our area are attracted to the large stands of thick mountain laurel, where they nest and raise their young. “The land trust is focusing on acquiring large, unbroken blocks of land, and we’re hoping for additional donations to protect this valuable habitat in our region. I’ve long admired the wild feeling of this area, and I’m grateful we have managed to protect some of it.”